


Heroes of Atlas

by Sereven



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 17:23:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12845910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sereven/pseuds/Sereven
Summary: With Beacon gone and her team scattered, Yang Xiao Long is left behind alone and broken. But where one road ends, a new one begins... All she had to do was taking the first step... With the help of a scheming general and his frosty specialist, the future looks much less Grimm. But who could have known that life without Team RWBY would get even crazier for the blonde brawler?





	Heroes of Atlas

**Author's Note:**

> So, after a very long RWBY binge, a friend challenged me to write a short story about how Yang's part in Volume 4 could have gone differently. There had been two ideas, either her going after Raven or Ironwood doing more than just lend her a hand. I like the latter and we still don't know where Yang will really end up in Volume 5, so I went with the Ironwood idea. The man seems far too ambitious in his plans to just hand over a piece of Atlas tech without expecting a payoff.
> 
> The beginning here is a bit darker than I would have liked, but Yang's part in Volume 4 was rather gloomy at the beginning, so it couldn't be helped. But the doom and gloom isn't the tone I want to keep for most of the story.
> 
> So, here's a short chapter about how things might have gone differently. And don't judge to harshly, I wrote this in a few hours with many corrupting influences interrupting me...

"General, may I ask what we are doing here?" Winter Schnee asked as she followed General James Ironwood.

They had just arrived on Patch, a small island to the west of the now ruined Vale. It was peaceful here as if the attack on Vale and destruction of Beacon Academy had not reached the people here. All they had to worry about were the Grimm who roam through the grey forests of the island.

"We have to make a personal delivery," the general replied simply.

Winter's eyes narrowed, as she frowned. A delivery? A General and a Specialist surely had better things to do. They had more than enough grunts to do such menial tasks, yet here they were. At least it explained the package the general had handed to her for safekeeping.

"But..."

"Schnee, recent events have made one thing clear. Atlas may be the leading force when it comes to technology, but in our pursuit of superior weapons to defeat the Grimm we have neglected a very important factor."

The general sounded somber. He hadn't been in a good mood ever since their enemies had managed to outplay him and steal half of his army from right under his nose. They had made him look like a fool. Not to mention that Atlas had been painted as the villain in Beacon's downfall. Though those accusations could be put to rest on a diplomatic level, the rumors had already spread and the seed of doubt had been planted in the other kingdoms.

Winter herself hated how they had lost. Utterly defeated, a feeling that she did not want to experience ever again. But what the general tried to achieve here? She had no idea. She could only hope that it would be beneficial.

"There it is," the general muttered.

It was a house. A simple log cabin in the woods, two stories tall and utterly undistinctive.

"General?"

The man didn't answer, instead, he left her with her alone with her unasked questions and approached the house. Winter followed swiftly, following the general, dutifully, always two steps behind him.

The general knocked on the door and waited. For a moment Winter suspected that no one was at home, but then the door was opened and a blond man appeared. He was about the same height as the general, with dark blue, almost lilac, eyes.

Winter was sure that she had seen the man before, but she couldn't put a name to the face. But just by the looks of him, she was sure that he was a hunter. The question remained, why was the general here to meet some strange hunter in a cabin in the woods at the far end of the world?

"General Ironwood," the man greeted, "Professor Goodwitch told me that you would come. Please, feel at home."

The man was strangely rigid, Winter noticed. He wasn't really happy about the general's presence, but for some reason, he suffered his presence. How odd.

"Knowing Glynda she has likely explained the situation to you in detail, Mr. Xiao Long," the general replied cordially, as he pushed past the man and entered the house.

Winter followed closely, not missing the dark look the blonde shot her. There was certainly some animosity. But the name, it finally clicked in Winter's mind, as she found a similar face to the name. The man had a striking resemblance to Yang Xiao Long, the teammate of Winter's younger sister. Judging by his age, he was likely the father of the blonde brawler.

Xiao Long lead them towards the kitchen of the house, his eyes never leaving the general for long.

"Schnee, the package," the general ordered, as he sat down at the table at the center of the room.

She did as ordered and placed it on the table in front of General Ironwood, before she stepped back and took her place, standing two steps behind the general. She wouldn't sit, even if offered. The hostility in the room kept her on edge and she wanted to be ready in case the meeting would result in a fight.

"How is she?" the general asked, as he opened the package.

"Depressed, reclusive, sad, take your pick," Xiao Long answered, "Just as one can expect when pretty much everything around someone falls apart. She certainly isn't on any path towards healing."

"Then maybe I can offer some reprieve from her self-imposed darkness," the general answered. He pulled something out of the package and placed it on the table.

It was an arm. A robotic arm. It was likely for Yang Xiao Long. Weiss had told Winter that her teammate had lost an arm during the fall of Beacon. Weiss had been reluctant to leave her friend behind after such an injury, but their father had all but dragged the girl back to Atlas, much to Winter's chagrin.

Xiao Long sighed deeply, as he looked at the replacement arm. Winter could see how he was fighting with himself. Accepting it would help his daughter, but put him in debt of the general, something that was obviously not sitting well with the man.

"I've have commissioned this arm myself. The best Atlas military technology can offer. Once she has grown accustomed to it, she will barely even miss her old arm," the general assured the man.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Xiao Long muttered, "Just what it will cost her, though."

"Nothing," Ironwood replied. "It is a gift. She has fought admirably and I would hate to see her disappear from the battlefield. Especially in a time when we need every able-bodied Huntsman and Huntress, we can find."

Xiao Long muttered something that Winter didn't understand. But the general obviously had, judging by the weary look he had adopted.

"Listen, I am well aware that neither you nor Qrow holds me in high regard because of what has happened. But as Glynda will assure you, we are all working towards the same goal. I am not the villain you might like to see me as."

"Excuse me, General, but as a father, I'd like to disagree with that," Xian Long growled. "You wouldn't have come here yourself just to bring gifts, so spare me the pep talk and get to the point."

The sheer audacity of the man had Winter hard pressed to remain calm. Just who does he think he is, to talk to General Ironwood like this?

"As you wish," Ironwood said, as he heaved a deep sigh, "I am here with an offer for your daughter. An offer to return more to her than just her arm."

"I refuse," the man replied swiftly and harshly, as he slammed his fist on the table. The strength behind it left a small crack, revealing a strength that was not expected at first glance.

"Your daughter is by law considered to be an adult now and..."

"She is my daughter still," the man spat, "What kind of father would..."

He stopped, interrupted by the arrival of another person. The girl in question, Yang Xiao Long. Winter was almost shocked to see her like this. The last time she had seen Weiss' teammate, the young woman had been hyper and teeming with life. The woman she saw now was a defeated husk of the once so promising huntress.

"Dad? What's going on? I heard shouting and wondered whether Uncle Qrow has come home drunk again," Yang said. Only belatedly the girl saw the general and Winter.

"Weiss? Did you change your hair… wait, your not Weiss. You're her sister, right?"

"Indeed," Winter replied clipped, "Atlas Specialist Winter Schnee. We did not have the time to speak during my last visit to Beacon, but Weiss has spoken quite highly of you."

"That's… nice," Yang replied, not sure what to make of this. Then her eyes found the general, but she didn't say anything.

"Ms. Xiao Long," Ironwood greeted her, "Please, have a seat." He gestured to the chair right in front of him.

Winter studied the young woman closer, as Yang sat down. The stump that had once been her right arm was a glaring reminder of their own failure at Beacon. But at least Yang had survived. Not everyone had been as lucky as her. The arm had even been prepared for a robotic replacement, though to their knowledge no new arm had been provided for her yet.

"What is that?" Yang asked as she saw the robotic arm on the table.

"A gift for you. A reward for your self-sacrifice in the defense of Beacon and Vale," Ironwood told her. "It will serve you well, I can assure you. It has been made by the same people who have outfitted me with my own cybernetic replacements."

"So you're giving me a hand to get back to normal," Yang muttered.

"It would be a waste of potential to see you removed from the struggle. The world is still a dangerous place and you have proven that you are willing and able to do what it takes to make it a safer place for all people," Ironwood replied.

"Where's the catch?" Yang asked. She eyed the robotic arm with no small amount of distrust, almost as if the thing would jump up and try to strangle her any moment

"The arm is yours, no strings attached," Ironwood assured her. "But I also have an offer for you."

"I already said that I refuse," Yang's father growled.

"The decisions is hers alone," the general replied simply.

But Taiyang Xiao Long was far more protective of his daughters than he should be. Everyone in the room could see that. "He wants you to enlist in Atlas' military. He wants to make you one of their attack dogs for the looming war with the White Fang."

"It is no longer a looming war. The attack on Vale and Beacon was an open declaration of war and Atlas is committed to ending this threat as swiftly and bloodless as possible," Winter corrected the man.

"Dad, at least let me hear the full offer first," Yang pleaded with her father.

"Indeed," the general agreed, "I don't want you to enlist as some simple soldier. Ms. Xiao Long… Yang, there is much at stake and there are only so many people who can make a difference."

"Okay..." the girl was obviously not sure what to make of this.

"You have proven yourself as a powerful fighter. With the right kind of training and discipline, you could become an asset to all four kingdoms. Atlas can offer you direction, order and most importantly, a cause worth fighting for. I do not know why you wanted to become a huntress, but I can assure you that as a member of Atlas' military you would be able to do so much more than what you could have ever hoped to achieve as a single huntress."

Yang wasn't convinced. She frowned deeply, as her eyes traveled from the arm on the table towards the general and back.

"I… I'm done fighting. I already lost," she proclaimed.

"Are you?" the general didn't buy it. Winter wasn't sure why, but the general was no convinced that Yang Xiao Long was done fighting. "You may think that the entire world has ended. Beacon has been destroyed. The surviving students are now scattered over all four kingdoms, including your own team. And you got defeated by an enemy so far out of your league that it was barely even a fight."

Yang's expression grew more defiant at every point, much to the growing agitation of her father. But for some reason, the elder Xiao Long didn't intervene. Maybe he hoped that the general would get his daughter out of her gloomy mindset. Or maybe he had given up himself.

Ironwood then proceeded to pull up the sleeve of his own robotic arm and showed it to Yang. "Make no mistake, I am no stranger to that feeling. I know the very doubt that gnaws at your mind. It is a poison that needs to be purged from you before it can cause lasting damage."

"What did you do against it? Against this… fear? Nothing will ever return to the way it had been before. Nothing will ever be normal again. So how, how am I supposed to pretend that nothing has happened, when a part of me is gone forever?" she asked.

At first, Winter wasn't sure what the general would answer. This was a very private matter to the man and for as long as she had known him, he had never really talked about his past or feelings. It seemed almost odd to watch him now.

"Personally, I hesitated. I struggled. I pushed those away who offered me the help I needed. It cost me many friends and the woman I loved. I only escaped the darkness by finding a purpose. A way to make the changed world my new normal," Ironwood said, "You, too, need to find a purpose and I am offering one. Not just for yourself, but for all those you hold dear. Your comrades, your friends, your father… and your sister. At the moment you are worthless to them all. Change that."

"Now hold on," her father protested, enraged by the last remark, which had likely hurt Yang more than anything the general could have said.

"No, she needs to hear this," Ironwood shot back. "What I am offering is no charity. It is a hard life. A dangerous life. A life in the service of others. Sacrifice is not just expected, it is assured. But it will be a path towards building a future for those we hold dear."

Ironwood took a deep breath before he stood up. Winter straightened a bit more when he looked at her before his gaze wandered back to Yang.

"Consider my offer carefully," he told her. "The time has come for you to decide your own future. What is it you want? To give up in failure, or to rise to the top against all expectations and opposition? I will be in the area for at least another day. If you make the right decision, contact me before tomorrow evening."

The meeting had concluded and the elder Xiao Long was quick to usher the unwanted guests towards the door. Yang remained at the table, not reacting even as the general bid her and her father farewell. Her eyes remained fixed on the robotic arm on the table. Seeing her like this, Winter wasn't so sure whether the general had succeeded with his plan. Only time would tell.

* * *

Yang didn't sleep that night. General Ironwood's words haunted her every thought, as she lay in bed, eyes wide open. She was staring at the arm again. She had taken it with her to her room and placed it on her desk. She had not tested it.

A purpose in life, that was the general's answer to her plight. Until not so long ago everything has had a purpose. She had been at Beacon Academy to become a huntress. To help people and hunt Grimm. Her own personal adventure.

It was a lie, she realized now. She had wanted the strength and freedom that came with the title, not just the duty of hunting Grimm. There was still one person she was trying to find. Answers she needed. Answers only her mother could give her. But would that be enough? Searching for answers from the woman who had abandoned her as an infant? And even if she succeeds, then what? Finding her birth mother, finding Raven Branwen wouldn't really change her life. Was it even a worthy goal to pursue?

Ruby had always been different from her, Yang realized. Her little sister had a clear purpose in life. The protection of others. To continue the work her mother, Summer Rose, had begun. Ruby will become a hero, Yang had no doubt about that. It was why she had left. To go out and help others, even if that meant leaving her family behind.

Leaving her behind…

The general had been right about one thing, Yang realized. At the moment she was worthless.

The fist of Yang's remaining had clenched in anger, as she thought about her sister leaving. She wasn't angry at Ruby, but at herself for being so damn weak. She couldn't protect Ruby. She couldn't keep Blake from running away. She couldn't keep their team from falling apart. Because she was weak.

The door to her room creaked, as it was slowly pushed open. Yang had expected her father to stand there, watching her with his worried frown, waiting for another one of his boring life lectures. He meant well, but he wasn't really helping. He only frustrates them both further with his attempts.

But there wasn't Taiyang Xiao Long at the door, but merely their family dog. Zwei looked at her and panted happily before he trotted into her room.

"Hey boy, can't sleep either, I see," Yang said, as she sat up in her bed. "We are not exactly night-owls, but I guess it can't be changed."

Zwei cocked his head to one side, looking at her as if he was confused by seeing her. Or maybe he was confused to see her in this state. She wasn't sure. Her dad took care of Zwei most of the time, and Yang herself had only spent a minuscule amount of time with the dog. He was likely not yet used to seeing her with only one arm.

But suddenly Zwei began to sniff around in the room. He was searching for something, though Yang didn't know what. Only when he stopped at the desk, she realized that it was the arm he had smelled.

"Do robotic arms even smell?" Yang wondered aloud.

Zwei barked once before he jumped on the chair in front of the desk and then up on the desk itself. He sniffed at the arm again. Then he barked, not at the arm, but at her.

"Something wrong, Zwei?" Yang wondered.

The dog barked again before he gripped the arm's wrist with his muzzle and bolted away.

"Hey! Come back here!" Yang shouted after him, as her dog bolted with her replacement arm.

She jumped out of bed and began to follow. Zwei was fast. Too fast at first, as Yang failed to catch him before he could reach the stairs. By the time she had caught up again, the dog had already reached the dog flap at the kitchen door and fled outside, into the dark night.

Yang hesitated. It was dangerous to roam the woods around the house at night. The Grimm would be out and about in even greater numbers than during the day and she wasn't exactly in fighting shape. But she couldn't allow Zwei to run off with her arm. How embarrassing would that be, loose the arm General Ironwood had brought her personally, not even half a day after she had received it.

"Just what is that dog thinking?" she grumbled, as she steeled her resolve and followed him into the night.

Zwei wasn't hard to find, even in the dimly lit night. The pale moonlight was just enough to spot the dog near the tree line. It was almost as if Zwei was waiting for her to follow. And so she did just that. She ran after him, as the Corgi bolted into the forest.

Only belatedly she realized where they were going. She wondered why, but for some reason, Zwei was leading her towards Summer Rose's gravestone. It was there that the hunt found its end.

Zwei was sitting next to the gravestone, panting happily, as Yang's robotic arm was draped across the smooth stone memorial.

"What is the meaning of this, Zwei? You've never done something like this before," Yang grumbled, as she took the last steps towards the gravestone.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down, as she knelt before the memorial and removed the arm from it.

"Hey mom," she said sadly, "I know its a weird of me for a visit. I don't really know why I'm here either." In fact, she hadn't visited the gravestone of her step-mother in far too long. Her last visit had been on the day she and Ruby had left for Beacon Academy. She knew that Ruby had returned at least once more before leaving their home with the remains of Team JNPR. But Yang herself had not visited.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. But what was she sorry for?

The general's words plagued her once more. She was useless in her current condition. A lost soul without a purpose. Was she sorry for being unable to help others… or maybe was she feeling sorry for herself?

She looked at the arm again, as it lay next to the gravestone.

"I have a big decision to make, but I don't know the right answer. I wish you were still here. You always knew the answers to all our troubles," Yang muttered. "But not this time. I guess I have to find my own answers."

But what is the right answer for her? Join the military, as the general had offered? Or take the arm and follow Ruby, so she can protect and support her sister? Or maybe to follow her original plan and find Raven Branwen… What is her purpose? The protection of others, Ruby or her unanswered questions?

What would Summer Rose have done in her situation? The answer was simple. She would have done what is best for her family. Not the selfish wishes, but the sacrifice needed to keep them safe. It's how she had died, or at least Yang's father had told her that, once she was old enough to understand.

Zwei suddenly growled at something behind her. A snarl was the answer from the monster that had managed to sneak up on her. It was Beowolf, Yang realized as she turned around. Usually, this wouldn't have been such a big deal. She had killed her fair share of Beowolves in the last few years. They weren't much of a threat to her. But she was no longer whole.

"Can't a girl have a private conversation with her mom around here?" she yelled at the Grimm. "Just get out of here before I turn you into dust."

The Beowolf wouldn't do her that little favor. Instead, it was ready to attack her. With only one arm she must seem like a wonderfully easy target to the beast. Well, she wouldn't do the monster any favors either.

"Guess we have to do this the hard way," she growled.

She grabbed the robotic arm on the ground and connected it to the stump where her own arm had been before. A searing pain shot through her, as her nerves and mind connected to the new appendage.

It was a moment of weakness the Beowolf saw as its chance. It pounced on her, ready to tear her to shreds. Zwei came to her defense and rammed into the Grimm, to keep it away from Yang. But that only delayed the beast.

"Now I'm angry and hurting," Yang muttered, as she regained her bearing. "And you have to help me vent my anger."

Her eyes were blood red and her hair was glowing as her Semblance activated. The Beowolf, being the dumb beast it was, attacked her again despite the overwhelming urge to run. As if in a frenzy, Yang unleashed her anger on the Grimm, beating it remorselessly into the ground. Again and again, she hit it with her new arm, reveling in the fleeting feeling of strength, of normalcy. Far too soon, the Grimm ceased resisting and turned into dust.

Yang was breathing heavily, as she looked at her new hand in wonder. It was nothing like she had expected. It felt… almost natural. Better even.

Her gaze wandered, as she searched for more Grimm to vent her frustration on. But to her chagrin, the others had likely fled when they saw the fate of their brethren.

"Guess that's about all the fun I will get tonight," Yang said, as she turned back towards Summer's gravestone. "Mom, I really don't know what to do with myself. I have no idea what my purpose is or what it should be… but I know what I want to do." She paused, as she looked at her robotic arm again. "I don't know when I will be able to come back and visit, but… Thank you. For being my mom, and for inspiring me once more." She turned away from the gravestone and began her trek back to the house. Maybe she would find sleep now. Zwei followed close by, looking far too pleased with himself, as he followed his mistress.

But the dog had seen what the girl had missed. The figure of Taiyang Xiao Long, standing behind some trees, not far from his daughter. He waited until Yang was almost back at the house before he approached the grave himself. But not before he had crushed the neck of the Beowolf he had been standing on.

"I'm sorry, Summer," he whispered, as he knelt before the gravestone and traced the name engraved on it with his fingers. "I don't know what Yang's future will bring her, but anything that gets her out of her depression is better than nothing. Even if it is a deal with a man I despise."

* * *

Early the next morning General James Ironwood received the message he had been waiting for. With a smirk, he read the message from Yang Xiao Long, as he sipped his coffee.

"Schnee, take a transport and pick up our latest recruit," he ordered.

"At once, Sir," she saluted before she turned and left quickly to follow her orders.

The general remained at his desk, a pleased smirk on his lips, "Now then, let's see if our new pawn has what it takes to become a queen in this game." All was going as planned. Just as he had planned.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: And that's all.
> 
> Yang isn't really over all the shit she has gone through. She still suffers, the fear and possible even traces of PTSD are still there. But the path towards healing always takes the first step. Her first step is onto an Atlas military transport. Good or bad, well she will have to learn that the hard way I suppose.
> 
> But the idea that Yang joins Atlas is quite intriguing. With the way Blake's story goes, the former partners would be on the opposite sides of the conflict. Yang fighting with Atlas to stop the White Fang, Blake trying to reform the White Fang from within. Not to mention that I really dislike the idea that Yang would just run after Ruby, especially after her sister had pretty much abandoned her. And yes, Ruby has abandoned her sister and she knows it. Just look at her reaction when they finally meet again in Volume 5. Don't get me wrong, I really like Ruby and the way her story goes, but it can't be denied that she made the decision to abandon her sister at a time when Yang was in need of her family.


End file.
